Supported Ministries
In Southern California
The Beacon House provides residential drug treatment and rehabilitation for men in our community. Each participant is required to donate several hours of community service, so Beacon House volunteers support many other non-profit groups in our city. The Beacon House program career counseling and extensive small group work. 85% of those who complete 6 months or more remain “clean and sober” at least three years later.
Beyond Rejection is one of the oldest HIV/AIDS outreaches, still going after almost two decades. They support AIDS hospice and congregate living. Beyond Rejection has traditionally been a volunteer organization with minimal paid staff. They advocate dialogue between differing views as a means of healing in society and they promote a strong, positive, spiritual, physical, and mental focus on health for individuals as well as society at large.
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Child S.H.A.R.E. organizes Christian Churches to seek and support foster and adoptive families for abused and neglected children in Southern California. Begun as a ministry of the Westwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, Child S.H.A.R.E. has now spread to dozens of congregations in 3 states. Since their founding in 1985, they have placed over 2000 abused children in safe and loving homes. |
The Crossing began as a soup kitchen for homeless and hungry people in San Pedro. After differences of opinion with neighboring businesses, they stopped direct feeding and began supporting other groups (churches and food pantries) with food. They also operate a Saturday Thrift Store out of their office at 7th & Mesa.
FISH is a free food panty and clothes closet for needy families in our community. Working age clients may receive 1 weeks worth of groceries up to 4 times per year. Retired clients may recieve 1 weeks worth of groceries monthly. FPC member Betsy Barnhart started this ministry with her friends in the basement of our church. It is now part of Harbor Interfaith.
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Harbor Interfaith provides emergency shelter for homeless families (mostly women and children). They provide interim housing (up to 9 months) for persons who are training to re-enter the work force. They provide after school and day care for participants in this program. The also operate the FISH program (see above). |
Harbour Area Halfway Houses began in 1970 when Dorothy Hoffman, a member of our church, started to offer Bible studies with her friend, Jean Newton, at the women's prison on Terminal Island. Soon, they saw a need for “half way” houses to support women inmates after they were realized. The Harbour Area Halfway Houses have served thousands of former inmates throughout the years. When California stopped supporting this program in 2002, they became a “half back” house for ex-convicts who had violated their parole. They offer drug rehabilitation and many other services in 3 facilities: The Hoffman, Holland, and Houston Houses in Long Beach.
Iglesia Presbyteriana Agape is a Spanish language congregation in Harbor City that is supported by our Presbytery
The Mary Magdalene Project gives women who have been victimized by street prostitution the opportunity to turn their lives around. Through an intensive and comprehensive program, the women face, cope with, and then overcome the many obstacles that life has dealt them. They provide safe and sober living facilities in Reseda, Los Angeles, and Pasedena. It began in 1980 through West Hollywood Presbyterian Church. Rev. Ann Hayman has been the director for over 20 years.
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Meals on Wheels is a low cost meal delivery service for aged and disabled citizens of San Pedro. Meals on Wheels began in England during the Second World War and spread to San Pedro in 1977 when FPC Member Maria Cameron and her friend, Marie Michelle, recommended this program to Church Women United, a large ecumenical group. Meals on Wheels is now governed by an independent board. Their kitchen and business office have been located in our church building from the start. |
Monte Vista Grove Homes are attractive retirement apartments in Pasadena, CA. They were created to meet the physical, spiritual, social and emotional needs of retired Presbyterian ministers, missionaries, Certified Christian Educators, Certified Musician Associates, Commissioned Lay Pastors, and their spouses. They also provide quality skilled nursing and assisted living accommodations for the elderly, regardless of church affiliation. Residents are highly involved in making choices regarding needed programs and services, and many residents choose to contribute hundreds of volunteer hours to the community.
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Rainbow Services provides temporary housing for battered women who are trying to escape an abusive relationship. They also offer counseling and referral. Their ultimate goal is to break the cycle of family violence. Rainbow began as a ministry of the Harbor Area YWCA. |
The Sage House is a day care facility for senior citizens, most of whom suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. It is directed by our local chapter of the Salvation Army.
The SHAWL (Supporting Harbor Area Women's Lives) House provides residential drug treatment and rehabilitation for women in our community. Major contributions to this house were made by FPC member Neva Lovell.
The South Coast Interfaith Council works with people of all religions to promote equality, justice, and compassion for people at risk in Southern California.
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Teen Challenge provides a strongly evangelical program of residential drug treatment and rehabilitation for women and men in Southern California. Participants in this program operate a second hand clothing/furniture store and many participate in a Christian lay leadership institute. Most are NOT teenagers. They have facilities in Lakewood and Ventura. |
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The Toberman House is the one of oldest humanitarian efforts in our region. Begun by a former mayor of Los Angeles, Toberman started in the inner city and moved into San Pedro in 1938. They provide a wide variety of services to low income residents in and around our local housing project, Rancho San Pedro, including child care, after school tutoring, youth recreation, family counseling, gang prevention, and gang intervention. They also operate a food panty and clothes closet for the poor. Their four building facility was rebuilt “from the ground up” at the conclusion of a seven million dollar fundraising effort in 2005. |
In other parts of the U.S.A. and the world
The stated mission of African Enterprise is “to evangelise the cities of Africa through word and deed in partnership with the church,” and the have taken the gospel throughout the continent since 1962. AE teams reach out to thousands of people, many of them shattered through disasters, many simply searching for God. Fostering and encouraging unity among the local churches and para-church organisations is primary, as is the training of God’s people in evangelism, prayer, pastoral care and follow-up.
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Campus Crusade for Christ International is an interdenominational ministry committed to helping take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations. They present the Christian Gospel in simple and clear language, primarily on college campuses. They host fellowship groups and Bible studies. Our Crusade Missionaries and Tom & Karen Mills, who work out of the world headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Tom is a professional photographer who travels throughout the world making pictures for Crusade Publications. We have also supported our own Luke Murry through this organization. |
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A Presbyterian tradition for almost seventy years, our Christmas Joy Offering is split between racial ethnic colleges and church workers who are in need beacuse of low retirement incomes or personal crises. |
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Ghost Ranch is an ecumenical Retreat Center (operated by the PCUSA) covering 21,000 acres of untamed wilderness in New Mexico. It offers adults an opportunity to explore theology, arts, and science while their children play. It was originally owned by Arthur and Pheobe Pack, whose guests included Ansel Adams, Leopold Stokowsky, John Wayne, and Georgia O'Keefe, who painted several southwestern landscapes here. The original campus is in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Their second one is located in a remodeled retirement home in Sante Fe. |
 | Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and to making adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat is founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, decent, affordable place to live in dignity and safety. In many projects, volunteers work with families to build or refurbish their own homes. We have partnered with Habitat to build homes in Long Beach and Harbor City. |
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The Heifer Project gives chickens, cows, and goats to needy rural families throughout the world. Each recipient is expected to donate at least one of the offspring of these healthy animals to others who are in need. |
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Interserve is a network of Christians from all over the world who use their professional skills to serve people of Asia and the Arab world - getting alongside them in tackling material, physical, mental and spiritual needs. From its inception in 1852, Interserve has put great emphasis on integration of word and deed wherever they serve. Our interserve missionaries are Paul & Pat Stock, who serve the "untouchable" classes in India. Among other things, Paul trains Indian nationals in the use of high-tech audio and visual equipment. |
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The Navigators is an international ministry that began in the armed services of the United States. The Navigators create small group Bible Studies that follow a very systematic approach to evangelism and discipleship. Our Navigator is Tom Steers, who facilitates missions in Southern California and Asia. |
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O.C. (“One Challenge”) International is a missionary organization dedicated to mobilizing godly and effective leaders to reach all nations. Their goal is to reach whole nations through through ministries of research, training, motivation, and mobilization. Our O.C. missionaries are Jay & Sarah Gearheart. They are planting churches in Soweto, South Africa. |
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Since 1949, Presbyterians have joined with millions of other Christians through One Great Hour of Sharing to share God’s love with people experiencing need. Our gifts support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and resettlement, and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives, and work together to strengthen their families and communities. Recognizing that the hope we have in Christ is lived out in our hope for one another, we respond with gifts that help our sisters and brothers around the world find the hope for a brighter future. |
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The Presbyterian Church (USA) Worldwide Ministries Division sends missionaries throughout the world who support indigenous Christian Churches with technical expertise. Our denominational missionaries are the Keeseckers in Guatemala |
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Today our ten seminaries, as well as two theological institutions related to the denomination by covenant agreement, serve the church in many ways. Together they: prepare men and women to be pastors, educators, and musicians for congregations, provide continuing education and advanced degree programs for ministers of the Word and Sacrament and for lay church leaders, serve as centers for theological discourse, reflection and research for the benefit of the wider church during changing times |
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SIM (“Serving In Mission”) is a global community of interdenominational Christians, passionate about reaching people with the love of Jesus Christ. Their motto is "by prayer." Our SIM missionaries, ***** and ****, are serving in Nigeria. ****** is a pediatrician, and a high percentage of the children he serves are now suffering from AIDS. |
Stabler & Stabler Ministries are affiliated with Wycliffe International. In 1975, Wycliffe founder Cameron Townsend expressed the need for pastoral care on the field. In response, Wycliffe USA created Pastors Beyond under the leadership of Ken Williams and Orval Butcher. They were soon joined by Cliff and Carole Stabler, the first couple to serve full-time. Pastors Beyond teams have ministered to Wycliffe members in Brazil, Eurasia, Colombia, Togo, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Papua New Guinea, Chad, Peru, Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya and elsewhere. They offer preaching, teaching, Bible studies, retreats, spiritual emphasis weeks, pastoral counseling, and youth events. They spend time in each home, with no agenda but to minister and listen, listen, listen. Some of the best ministry takes place away from the podium. You’ll find Pastors Beyond couples baby-sitting, laughing and enjoying a lapful of kids and popcorn. You’ll even find them scrubbing out cupboards. We support Cliff & Carole Stabler in this mission.
Tree House is a Christian-based, nonprofit organization affiliated with Family Hope Services of Minnesota. TreeHouse provides a safe place for at-risk youth and their families to struggle and grow. TreeHouse staff build relationships and equip youth with spiritual and practical skills to cope and grow in a complex world. Their TeenHope Curriculum targets 19 of the 40 assets identified by the Search Institute of Minneapolis to be vital to youth development. San Pedro native Audry Murry is our missionary with this group.
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Young Life is a non-denominational, Christian organization committed to impacting kid's lives and preparing them for the future. For more than six decades, Young Life has been introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith, while providing strong, positive influences in their lives. |
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WEC (World Evangelization for Christ) exists to introduce the love of Jesus to those who have the least opportunity to hear about him. It was started by CT Studd, a wealthy cricket player who sailed to Africa in January of 1913 at the age of 52. Many called him a fool, but his passion touched many lives, and WEC now employs more than 1,719 active workers from 49 nations in 76 different countries. Our WEC missionary, ********, serves "under cover" in an Asian country that is hostile to Christian missionaries. She teaches school and leads Bible Studies in a mountainous rural community. |
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Witnessing Ministries for Christ spreads the good news among the 135 million Dalit (or "Untouchable") people of India through the Rural Presbyterian Church of India. Religion, education, economic development and health care have been denied the Untouchables for at least 3,500 years. This project is an important effort to help boost the children of Untouchables to a level of education where they can compete and gain admission to higher education while remaining in touch with Untouchable and Christian roots. The church promotes six ministry branches of evangelism, pastoral care, education, health, economic development and reconciliation. The Presbyterian Church in this area has grown to over 700,000 members in only 14 years. We support them through the Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship |
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Wycliffe's mission is to assist the church in making disciples of all nations through Bible translation. Often they create new written languages for indigenous peoples that have no written langauge and translate the Bible into these “mother tongues.” Our Wycliff missionaries are David and Kim Beine, who have spent several years in Nepal. The Beines also teach summer language school for prospective Wycliff translators in the United States. We have supported them since their college years. |
Founded in 1946, Church World Service is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States. Working in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS works worldwide to meet human needs and foster self-reliance for all whose way is hard. CROP WALKS raise money for local hunger-fighting agencies as well as the international relief and development efforts of Church World Service.
****** indicates missionaries names may be protected from disclosure due to potential persecution.
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Page Last Updated: Sat Mar 10, 2007